Are you confused about whether a king can kill in chess or not? Then don’t worry, because in this article I’m going to explain case-by-case, when a king can kill a chess piece and when a king can’t kill a chess piece along with other related questions. Let’s start!
Yes, a king can kill any attacking chess piece such as queen, knight, rook, bishop, or pawn, even in check. However, if the attacking chess piece is supported by another enemy piece, then the king can’t kill because that would put it in check which is illegal. Remember that one king can never check or attack another king.
So, can a king kill in chess? Yes, a king can kill any attacking chess piece such as queen, knight, rook, bishop, or pawn, even in check. However, if the attacking chess piece is supported by another enemy piece, then the king can’t kill because that would put the king in check which is illegal.
Remember that one king can never check or attack another king directly. This is because as soon it tries to approach next to another king, it gets into check which is not allowed.
Hence one king can’t capture or kill another king. Read my detailed article about can a king kill a king in chess to know more.
Ahead I’m going to clarify all of your doubts along with the proper illustration, but before that let’s discuss how the king moves in chess (in brief).
A king moves only one square in any direction provided that square is vacant and not controlled by another chess piece.
Here’s a video by Howcast that will help you to understand how the king moves in chess and all other related concepts.
A king can kill if in check as long as doing that doesn’t put it in check again. Here’s an illustration that shows two cases of when a king can kill in check and when a king can’t kill in check.
As you can see in the image black king is in check and attacked by the white queen. So what would you do if you had the black chess piece?
Obviously, get your king out of check, right? Now there are three ways to get the king out of check.
Particularly, here we are discussing the third case, to kill the attacking chess piece. But is it possible? Before answering that, I want you to remember one rule from now onwards and that is:
One can’t leave one’s own king in check neither expose it to check
As per the World Chess Federation (FIDE) rulesSo any move you make that goes against this rule will be considered illegal and will be not allowed to make.
Now, I ask you can the black king kill or capture the white queen? The answer is yes because there is no threat in doing that, right?
Let’s discuss another case.
Also Read: Can You Double Kill In Chess? (Explained)
(See the image that I showed you earlier and come back again) So as you can see in case – 2 also the black king is attacked by the white queen.
But one thing if you noticed is that this time white rook is supporting the white queen. So can the king kill in this case?
The answer is no. This is because as soon as the black king will capture the white queen it will get exposed to check by the white rook.
Read Related: Can A King Kill To Get Out Of Check? (Explained)
And as I told you earlier, you can’t make any move that puts your king into check. Hence the king can’t kill in check in this case.
It is considered an illegal move to move one’s own king into check. In casual games, nothing happens and you can just take back your move. But in professional games, after making two illegal moves you lose provided the opponent has sufficient chess pieces to checkmate your king.
If the opponent cannot checkmate by any series of legal moves, then the game is drawn. As per the standard FIDE rules, after making the first illegal move the player’s opponent is allotted two minutes extra time. While for the second illegal move the player loses the game.
An illegal move is any move that doesn’t follow the standard rules of chess. You can read more about it in my article: Illegal Moves In Chess: Everything You Need Know (With Examples)
You can’t move into check or checkmate because that violates the standard chess rules. However, you can make a move that allows your opponent to check or checkmate you.
Whether you put your king in check or checkmate intentionally or accidentally, it is considered an illegal move.
Read More: What Happens If You Accidentally Put Yourself In Checkmate?
In short, you can remember like this: Any move that puts your king into check is not allowed. Recall this statement every time you make a move to prevent making mistakes.
So that’s it! Hope you found this post helpful. Now below I have shared the answers to some of the related frequently asked questions which you can read to clear your doubts. Till then Thanks, and Good Luck!
Wait! Do you want to play chess but don’t have a good chess set? Then check out my recommendations on the Top 7 Best Chess Sets For Beginners (With Buying Guide)
Yes, a king can kill anyone in chess as long as doing that doesn’t put the king in check. As per the standard rules, it is illegal to make a move that puts your king in check.
Yes, a king can attack in check but only if doing that helps the king to get out of check. Out of the three ways of getting the king out of check, one of them is to counter-attack the attacking chess piece.
Yes, a king can defend himself from attack and there are three ways for doing it. First, moving the king to a safer square. Second, blocking the attack by putting a piece between the king and attacking chess piece and third is to counter-attack the enemy piece.
Yes, a king can kill diagonally as well in any direction up to one adjacent square. However, if killing a piece puts the king in check, then it is not allowed.
Yes, a king can kill a pawn in chess as long as doing that doesn’t put the king in check. As per the standard rules, it is illegal to make a move that puts your king in check.
Yes, a king can kill a queen as long as that doesn’t put it in check. You can read my article Can A King Capture A Queen In Chess to know more.
(From Amazon)
The object of the game is to attack your opponent's King in such a way that he cannot prevent you from killing it (this is called checkmate) while at the same time preventing him from doing the same to you. The other way to lose is to run out of time. Time limits will be explained in more detail further down this page.
Chess is played on an 8x8 square board with alternating light and dark squares. The square closest to either player's left is dark, while the square closest to either player's right is light. (Just remember, light on right - it rhymes!) The 8 columns are called files, and they are lettered a (at White's left/Black's right) to h (at White's right/Black's left). The 8 rows are called ranks, and they are numbered 1 (closest to White) to 8 (closest to Black).
Chess is a battle between 2 players - White and Black. Players take turns moving until the game is over. White always moves first. If you were White the last time you played against a specific opponent, you must be Black next time. Each player starts the game off with a King, a Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, and 8 Pawns. Each type of piece has its own unique style of movement, as you will see in the following sections.
White's 8 Pawns are placed on rank 2, while Black's 8 Pawns are placed on rank 7. The first time a Pawn moves, it may move ahead 1 or 2 spaces. After a Pawn has moved, it can only move 1 space at a time. Pawns may not move sideways or backwards. When killing another piece, a Pawn must move 1 space diagonally forward. The Pawn is the only piece that does not kill in the same way that it normally moves.
White's Knights start off at b1 and g1. Black's Knights start off at b8 and g8. The knight's movement is a bit tricky, and it is a move found only in chess or games derived from chess. The knight must move either 2 spaces vertically and 1 space horizontally, or 2 spaces horizontally and 1 space vertically. The knight's move can be described as being like the letter L. A knight in a corner only has 2 squares to which it can move, while a knight in the centre has 8 squares to which it can move. The knight is also the only piece that can 'jump' over other pieces. A Knight that starts off on a dark square will move to a light square, and vice versa.
White's Bishops start off at c1 and f1. Black's Bishops start off at c8 and f8. Bishops move any number of spaces diagonally - that is, the horizontal distance must equal the vertical distance of a Bishop's move. A Bishop that starts off on light squares, therefore, will always be on light squares. A Bishop in a corner of an uncluttered board has seven squares to which it can move, while a Bishop in the centre has 13 squares to which it can move.
White's Rooks start off at a1 and h1. Black's Rooks start off at a8 and h8. Rooks move any number of spaces horizontally or vertically - that is, either the horizontal distance or the vertical distance of a Rook's move must be zero. Rooks can be powerful pieces if their path is not blocked by other pieces - on an uncluttered board, a Rook has 14 squares to which it can move.
White's Queen starts off at d1. Black's Queen starts off at d8. The Queen has the combined movement abilities of the Rook and the Bishop. On an uncluttered board, a Queen in a corner has 21 squares to which it can move, while a Queen in the centre has 27 squares to which it can move.
White's King starts off at e1. Black's King starts off at e8. The King is the most important piece in the game - you must protect yours at all costs, while at the same time breaking down your opponent's defences to kill his King. The King moves only one square at a time in any of the eight directions that a Queen can move. When your King is attacked, it is said to be in check, and the check must be corrected so that the other player may not kill your King. If the check can't be corrected, it is called checkmate and the game is over. There are 3 ways you might correct a check:
A King in the corner has 3 squares to which it may move, while a King in the centre has 8 squares to which it may move. Note that the King must be protected, especially behind a wall of your own pieces. However, you must also be careful not to leave yourself open to a smothered mate, a checkmate in which your King can't move to safety due to his own pieces blocking him in. When you move to attack your opponent's King, if your opponent is a novice, you should say, 'check' to notify him that his King is under attack. If you checkmate your opponent, you should say, 'checkmate' to notify him that the game is over.
There are three types of special moves in chess - castling, pawn promotion, and en passant.
Castling is a special move in which the King moves 2 spaces towards the Rook and the Rook jumps over the King. Castling is the only move in which you may move 2 pieces, and can only be done if the following conditions apply:
Since Pawns never move sideways or backwards, they become useless once they reach the end of the board. To reward you for your perseverance, the Pawn may be promoted to a Knight, Bishop, Rook, or Queen. Note that a Pawn may not become a 2nd King, nor can it remain a Pawn. The Queen is most often chosen, since it is generally the best piece, so Pawn Promotion is commonly referred to as Queening. It is even possible to have 2 or more Queens by Pawn Promotion. If a 2nd Queen can't be found, turning a Rook upside-down may serve as a Queen, or any other object of a suitable size and colour.
In the olden days of chess, the rule that Pawns could move 2 spaces on their first move didn't exist. That rule was introduced later to speed up the opening. It would seem that this gave players the opportunity to sneak their Pawns past enemy Pawns without exposing them to danger. But if the Pawn had been in the line of fire of another Pawn if it had moved only 1 space instead of 2, the other Pawn may still take it en passant, which means in passing. No other piece but a Pawn may do this. To demonstrate, set up your board as follows:
Note that if you intend to kill a Pawn en passant, you must do so immediately after the other Pawn moves. If you wait any turns, you will lose that privilege.
There are a number of strict rules regarding the touching of pieces. Some of these rules are strictly enforced, while others are not. You and your opponent must agree beforehand which of the following rules will be enforced.
If there were no time limits, the game of chess could be quite boring - players may sit in contemplation for hours before deciding on a move. In general, the more time a player spends thinking about his move, the better the quality of his move will be. There are 6 basic ways time limits may be enforced in a game. In either case, the players must agree on the time limits before the game begins. Note that each player has his own clock, which runs only while it is his turn. If either player runs out of time, he forfeits the game. When your turn begins, your opponent starts running your clock. After you move, you must stop your clock and then start your opponent's clock. If you are playing on a computer, this is done for you automatically.
Everybody wants to win, but there are situations where you can't win, but you still must prevent your opponent from checkmating you. In cases where neither player is able to checkmate the other, the game is a tie, or a draw, which is far less embarrassing than losing. In fact, many games between grandmasters result in a draw. There are 7 ways in which this might happen.
During official tournaments and matches, players are required to keep track of the moves they make during the game, for the purpose of analysis and backtracking, if necessary. Since it would be far too time-consuming to write the move down as 'I moved my King's Rook 3 spaces forward and checked my opponent's King', chessplayers have devised a brief notation that is universally understood. The rules for algebraic notation are as follows:
Sometimes you will be in a situation where a game must be adjourned due to the lateness of the hour, perhaps the chess club where you are playing is closing, or you or your opponent has a very important appointment. In this case, the player whose turn it is must decide on a move within the time specified by the time controls, write his move down on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope, which his opponent may not open until the game recommences. The player then stops his clock but does not start his opponent's clock. The reason for this is so that the other player does not have substantially more time to decide on a move. When the game is scheduled to recommence, if the player who sealed the move does not show up within the previously agreed-upon time control, he forfeits the game, unless the sealed move is checkmate. This might happen if the player, at the time he wrote down the move, didn't realize that it would be checkmate.
This section discusses rules that do not fall under any of the above categories.
That's it in a nutshell. For a more detailed list of rules, see http://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/LawsOfChess.pdf.